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Friday, May 13, 2011

Sight Word Bingo

I don’t know why this wasn’t the first afterschool educational activity I blogged about. It’s definitely my son’s favorite. When he was just starting to read, his kindergarten teacher sent home a list of the sight words each child should know by the end of the school year. I did exactly what was suggested. Yep, you got it. I made flash cards. Getting through the cards was a struggle for my son and every time thereafter that I pulled them out, high-pitched whining ensued. What was a mother to do?!?

That’s when I read this idea online: turn the sight words into a bingo game. Using Microsoft Excel® I created a grid of 5 by 5 squares, and typed the sight words into each square, making sure to label the middle one FREE. I printed two copies of the game card on cardstock, and laminated one with clear household contact paper. I cut the squares from the other card out and put them in an envelope.

When my son got home from school, I gave him the game card and a bag of fruit snacks, which I told him NOT to eat until the game was over. As I pulled each word from the envelope and said it aloud, I watched astonished as his eyes coursed back and forth over the card until he placed the fruit snack on the correct word. When he had 5 in a row, he yelled “Bingo!” excitedly and gobbled down his edible bingo markers.

After mastering this list of words, I made a second card with color words and additional sight words I found online. While he knows all these words by heart now, when given a choice for our afterschool activity, I can almost always count on him to choose Sight Word Bingo.

If your son/daughter doesn’t like fruit snacks, consider using Cheerios, Reese's Pieces, Goldfish crackers, or for a non-edible alternative, buttons.

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